Some beverages, such as beer, are preferably served in a chilled state. For beer on tap dispensed from a dispense tower, it is desirable to cool the beer near the dispense point so that the customer receives the beer at a desired chilled temperature. If the beer is chilled at a location far from the dispense point, the beer will warm due to contact of the beer with the transport line.
There are a number of prior art systems that disclose various ways to chill a dispensed beverage. A few examples of these systems include the inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,927; US Patent Publication Nos. US2003/0161925, US2003/0211219, and US2003/0161933.
One common method to chill beer is by the use of a glycol cooling system. In this type of system, a cooled glycol circulation loop is placed in heat transfer relationship with a transport line carrying the beer or a reservoir of the beer. Heat is transferred from the warmer beer to the cooler glycol loop. The warmed glycol is then cooled by circulating the glycol through a heat exchanger which is part of a separate refrigerant loop. The refrigerant loop typically uses a standard refrigerant such as Freon that is continuously recycled in the refrigerant loop. Heat is transferred within the heat exchanger from the warmed glycol to the cooler refrigerant.
For these glycol cooling systems, the cooling of the beer is therefore achieved by indirect cooling. That is, the glycol is the medium which interacts with the warmer beverage to cool the beverage, while the glycol is cooled by a refrigerant. While glycol systems have proven to be adequate for their intended purpose, the requirement to use the glycol circulation loop in conjunction with a refrigerant loop adds to the inefficiency, complexity and cost of a system for cooling a beverage.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and apparatus wherein a dispensed beverage can be effectively and selectively cooled, yet cooling is preferably achieved through a simplified direct cooling system that may be mounted near the point where the beverage is dispensed.